1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to broad spectrum preservative blends. In particular, the present invention relates to broad spectrum preservative blends that incorporate caprylyl glycol with either chloroxylenol or chlorphenesin or both.
2. Brief Description of Art
Preservatives are commonly used in personal care products. Preservatives are aimed at protecting such products from decay or spoilage, mainly caused by microorganisms. They typically possess anti-microbial activity.
Because preservative agents may cause adverse effects such as allergic responses and skin irritation, it is desirable to use them in the smallest amount possible in the cosmetics or other personal care products. Thus, a balance must be achieved by having an effective anti-microbial amount of the preservative or preservatives in the product, yet having that amount be as small as possible to avoid or reduce the chance of adverse effects. Also, it is desirable that the preservative or blend of preservatives be effective against the widest possible types of potentially harmful microorganisms that could cause decay or spoilage of personal care products. Furthermore, such preservatives should be chemically and physically compatible with the other ingredients in the personal care product.
2-Phenoxyethanol, chloroxylenol and chlorphenesin are all known preservatives for personal care products. Caprylyl glycol is a known moisturizer used in cosmetic preparations and is known to increase the antimicrobial activity of certain preservatives. For example, European Patent Application EP1206933 A1 teaches compositions containing blends of caprylyl glycol or an analog thereof, with a preservation agent. This reference states that the preservation agents may include phenoxyethanol or chloroxylenol. However, the preferred preservative in this reference is iodopropynyl butyl carbonate (IPBC). See paragraphs 20 and 21 on page 3 of this European Patent Application.
The present invention has found that particular triblends and tetrablends that incorporate caprylyl glycol with either (1) 2-phenoxyethanol and chloroxylenol; (2) 2-phenoxyethanol and chlorphenesin; (3) chloroxylenol and chlorphenesin; or (4) 2-phenoxyethanol, chloroxylenol and chlorphenesin exhibit higher broad spectrum antimicrobial preservative effects over the simple diblends disclosed in EP 1,206,933.